Part 43: The Pacific Islands Campaign
As 1942 passed and January of 1943 arrived, German High Command was forced to accept that their six month war had dragged on for over a year. Despite incredible initial gains, the war fell into a stalemate within months and that elusive victory seemed to grow further and further away. The new strategy adopted was to lean on the defensive and bring superior weapons into production and deploy them to the point that German forces would be qualitatively superior to the degree that the initiative could once again be obtained. The unofficial strategy was, however, was to wait for the infusion of new strength represented by the Regio Esercito.
While the Wehrmacht was facing it's darkest hour, the Regia Militare was at it's brightest, and the height of it's power. In the winter and fall, the forces had undergone reorganizaion from their largely ad-hoc positions into new formations - the 6a, 7a, and other garrison Armatas were renamed and consolidated with their air and naval forces under regional commands, such as the Armata Iberia, Commando Suez and Commando Gibraltar, and it was decided that only the standard, first rate armies would be numbered. The 9a and 10a, being relatively new armies without much tradition, were rechristened 2a and 4a before being put under the unified command of Armata Gruppo Anatolia. The 1a, 3a, 5a, and 8a were placed under Armata Gruppo Fronte Est.
While the defenses of Spain, Gibraltar, and Suez were weak at any given point, the land forces were planned to play a holding role rather than a stopping one. The strategy was one of combined operations, with land-based forces holding any landings while land based aircraft and the defensive naval forces destroyed the transports and their escort. Gibraltar had one escort carrier, four old submarine flotillas patrolling the waters, three heavy cruisers, and twelve light cruisers ready for action at any given time, with one of the most powerful radar stations in the world in action nearby at Sevilla. At Suez, there were two escort carriers, a heavy cruiser and nine light cruisers, with each naval force ready to quickly move to the aid of the other - nevermind the powerful, experienced carrier task force and cruiser fleets based out of Taranto, operating in the Black Sea.
While the winter weather precluded beginning operations against the Bolsheviks, it was the ideal time of year to turn the tables in Oceania and the Pacific. On January 24th, the Pacific Expeditionary Force - three elite marine divisions, four militia brigades for occupation where necessary, two fleet carriers, four heavy cruisers, and ten light cruisers arrived in Syonan-to, which would be their base of operations in the South Pacific.
A glance over the theater showed half a dozen small battles raging, as the shattered Australian forces continued to siphon away Japanese strength as they retreated deeper into the country, a disorganized Allied force still held a strategic point in the Dutch East Indies, and the US and Japanese forces were still fighting it out in New Guinea and, more importantly, the Philippines. Everywhere the forces were relatively evenly matched, besides the decisive advantage the US enjoyed in the Philippines, where the Japanese defense of the north island had recently cracked wide open.
It stood to reason that one Axis victory in the theater would have a domino effect, much like the fighting in the Mediterranean during Operation Alea Iacta Est - so recently, yet so long ago - the defeat of one allied force and freeing of the opposing Axis force would provide the catalyst for continuing victories. Should all the minor fronts in the theater be closed, the Japanese Army would have the strength available to regain the Philippines and potentially inflict a dramatic loss on US forces.
First, the force was dispatched to deliver the knock out blow to Australian command chain in Perth. Brief fighting in the air, on the sea and on land saw weak Australian efforts batted away, and organized military resistance melted away on February 5th, as Japan assumed control of the south and east coasts. Next, was a strike delivered against the barely-sustained holdout of Oosthaven, to destroy the last position of significance held by Allied forces in the Dutch East Indies.
After a sustained bombing campaign by naval aviation, three marine divisions stormed the region that held four disorganized Allied divisions. Twenty nine Italian casualties were suffered, while 293 Allied soldiers died and the remaining 35,000 were taken prisoner in a move remniscent of the past British surrender at the peninsula of Syonan-to.
The next step, was to turn back the US landing in the Philippines.
